Reality++

An Exploration of Augmented Reality

"A significant portion of the population will have Augmented Reality experiences every day, almost like eating three meals a day. It will become that much a part of you." - Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, Inc.

What If?

What if information didn't have to take us out of our lives?

Every day, we are constantly bombarded with information. Emails, text messages, tweets, snaps - notifications have formed a nonstop barrage. Yet every time we wish to see this information, we have to look away from what we were doing. We pull out a phone, or glance at a monitor. We are forced to make the decision between putting life on hold, or to miss out on potentially critical information. Sometimes the situation is even more dangerous - how many times have you received an important text message while driving a car? Imagine if it were possible for information to be presented in a non-obtrusive way, where it's given to us where and when it's needed without forcing us to drop everything to look at it.

What if virtual experiences didn't have to exclude the real world?

As video games have become more advanced, the graphics, atmosphere, and general design have all become more lifelike and immersive. Yet, at the end of the day, there's always been a divide between virtual experiences and the real world. With augmented reality, however, developers are able to blend elements from games into the tangible and realistic aspects of the real world. This merging of worlds opens the door for a plethora of possibilites as to new experiences for people to enjoy. And it's not just video games. Imagine if, for example, a medical school professor could use AR to teach his or her students how to dissect a body, complete with annotated guidelines. Or imagine a scenario where a website could walk you through how to fix an applicance by directly showing you in your vision what to screw and where to hammer. The possibilities are endless.

What if technology didn't have to impede our enjoyment of life?

Since the beginning of the technological revolution, technology has always been a separate entity from the rest of the world. A distractor. Something your mom told you to put down so you would go play outside instead. But for the first time, this is on the verge of changing. Augmented reality gives people the ability to experience all the benefits of having technology with them while still being able to be present in one's everyday life. As much as we love technology, and as much good as it has done for our lives, there's no working around the fact that walking around with your nose in your phone all day is not exactly healthy nor fulfilling. Augmented reality is a gamechanger precisely because it tackles these problems head on, and instead of scaling back the technology, it innovatively leverages the unique benefits of technology to make the situation better. It is certainly an interesting time to be alive.